the craft. working with an editor.

I was terrified to get my first full book edit. I thought that it was going to say, “go back to the drawing board.” But it didn’t. Thankfully. And what I learned was that I was more prepared than I thought I was from the freelance writing I’ve done over the years.

Most often, when I would turn in a freelance piece, the suggestions that came back to me were good. They were offering an objective perspective of the story and adding things that would bring life to the piece. I don’t think I ever felt like a draft I turned in was better than the final piece after working with an editor.

Writing is editing. The first thing that comes to our minds is not the best thing. It’s a draft. Which is an important part of the process, but not the finished product. The reality is, we’re better writers when we’re edited. Well, when we’re edited by someone who knows what they’re doing.

The biggest challenge I ran into when working on the first revision for my book was how do I undertake such a massive revision? Alongside comments within the manuscript, I had an edit memo with these more big picture ideas. We got on a phone call to go chapter by chapter in the manuscript and discuss her different thoughts. And it felt scary if I’m being honest. I’d spent months and months perfecting a manuscript to even submit and then it was being reviewed with a much more critical eye.

It’s easy to think that finishing your manuscript is the finish line. What I learned was that it was really only the beginning of the journey. There was still a lot of work to do to beef up the plot and tighten up the language. And new ideas were being introduced to help make the story more suspenseful and interesting. Words like pacing were being thrown around and I thought, I don’t know if I can do this.

But I did. I got through that first edit. And the second. And now on my third round of revisions, I’m hoping that we’re a lot closer to the goal. And maybe you won’t have that much work ahead of you. I’m sure your manuscript is much more polished than mine. But I promise you there will be some work to do because nothing is perfect.

The important thing to remember in this process is that you are still the master of your book’s fate. Editors will offer suggestions. But you still get to decide what works for your story and what doesn’t. I don’t mean being difficult. At the end of the day, they are publishing professionals. But I’m saying that you have to learn to evaluate what is essential to the story you’re telling and what may just be your ego. More simply put, you’ve likely heard the term, “Kill your darlings.”

I would come to places where I felt stubborn about changing things. But when I peeled back the layers, I was able to let them go. I was able to cut certain things to help the pacing. I was able to get rid of things that didn’t feel essential to moving the story forward.

The core is still there. But a lot has changed from the manuscript I sold and the one that I’m hopefully turning in this week. Ultimately, it’s better.

Your editor is thinking as a reader. So they’re thinking of words that may be more emotive. They’re finding weak points in your plot. Thinking about consistency and timelines. These are all things that can get lost when you’re simply trying to get a good story down on paper. I don’t even want to talk about the amount of “that’s” my editor took out of my story.

Writers and editors are not nemeses. Your editor should be your partner. Hopefully, you’re able to talk through your ideas without feeling like you’re being dictated to. And most importantly, hopefully, you can both be really proud of the work that you produce together.

Being edited doesn’t mean you’re an incapable writer. Toni Morrison had an editor, okay people? Not saying her original work wasn’t spectacular, but the point is, we all need that teammate to make our work shine in its best light.

Revision and editing are not easy roads. But it takes stepping outside of your place as a writer and thinking about how your work will be received and interpreted. You want to put your best foot forward and a good editor will help you do that.